"Huff... huff... huff..."
Su Min gasped heavily, unable to suppress her ragged breathing.
"The consumption is enormous. Releasing the Chaos Azure Lotus with an incomplete Chaos Body inevitably leads to such consequences. I must return and rest properly."
After all, her opponent was a half-immortal who would require an emperor's full strength to deal with. She had to remain extremely cautious. Moreover, she was completely isolated here, with no reinforcements to rely on. She genuinely feared that backup might arrive for those people.
"Next is this altar. Destroy it. Without the protection of half-immortal power, I can kill them directly."
Taking a deep breath, Su Min raised her hand and slammed it down, shattering the altar into pieces. Meanwhile, in the depths of the universe, a true immortal in the midst of self-destruction suddenly widened his eyes. He sensed that the "gate" he was connected to had developed a breach, shrinking by a third in an instant.
If the gate became too small, only a few Mahayana cultivators could pass through at a time—rendering it meaningless.
Temporary gates like this couldn't accommodate higher-level beings. For the current world, this was just right. Hundreds or even thousands of Mahayana and Unity-stage experts would soon pour in, tearing the universe apart and forcing that woman out.
Once she was locked onto, they could unleash that curse again, the one that had permanently slain the last Chaos Body.
"Though I don't understand why the King of the Future fears her so much, now that she's appeared, we must eliminate her at any cost."
Zhexian Curse—the supreme spell that had killed the previous Chaos Body. They had to strike while she was still in the Mahayana stage.
As long as he could relay this message back, everything else would be handled. They would prepare the Zhexian Curse, a supreme technique capable of withering even immortals to death.
But now, something seemed amiss. Black Sun—the true immortal—frowned deeply.
Yet, there was nothing he could do but continue his original plan. However, an inexplicable unease gnawed at him.
"What are those people doing?"
At the same time, in the Nether Prison, the warden stared at the broken horn in contemplation. This horn was a critical component of the Quadripartite Formation. But all the prisoners here were Mahayana experts—mindless puppets corrupted by turbid energy, utterly incapable of rebellion.
This could only mean one thing: a variable had emerged.
"While resonating with our kin in the world of clear energy to open a passage, a fragment was severed. This must mean something happened to our operative. Since I cannot leave my post at the core..."
The warden narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Such an incident had never occurred since the founding of the Nether Prison.
"I don't yet know what's happening. Gathering intelligence must take priority before reporting to the Kings. If a true immortal is willing to sacrifice so much, the message must be critically dangerous."
After a moment of deliberation, the warden's eyes snapped open. The Nether Prison existed in an isolated space, and returning to the Turbid Lands required specific conditions—only possible at certain times. Now was not one of them.
"You two, abandon the outpost immediately. Gather all forces and regroup."
In an instant, the warden issued his command. The three remaining figures promptly left their altars and moved as ordered. Uncertain of the situation, he chose the simplest solution: consolidate strength to ensure a baseline of security.
Of course, Su Min was unaware of all this.
At this moment, she declared:
"I need to go into seclusion. For now, you all should scout ahead. Once I emerge, we'll proceed with the next phase."
Facing the group before her, Su Min spoke calmly. Since the enemy's last resort had been to drain the lifeblood of all the slaves in the fortress, her allies had barely expended any energy. Only Su Min had suffered significant depletion. Now was the time to recover.
More importantly, she had just collected their soul essences. The Mahayana souls were fragmented and of little value, but the half-immortal's soul was a priceless treasure. A soul from the Burial Ground, and a half-immortal at that, this was the ultimate nourishment for her breakthrough.
"It's time to advance to the Mahayana middle stage. No matter what tricks the enemy has, my path is clear: grow stronger."
Though Su Min didn't fully grasp the situation, she understood one thing above all: power.
There was no alternative. Without reaching her peak, she stood no chance against the coming calamity. Even if she couldn't foresee the specifics, she knew disaster loomed, especially after slaying the Skeleton Emperor.
"Time to begin closed-door cultivation. It won't take long. I've accumulated enough, even consumed a ninth-grade pill."
Gazing at the soul essence in her hand, Su Min shattered all its memories with a single motion. Absorbing them was out of the question, it would mean fusing those memories into her own soul. The cornerstone of her soul's stability was her own memories. By erasing them, only the purest soul energy remained. A complete half-immortal soul was the final ingredient for her ascension.
With that, Su Min closed her eyes and merged the purified fragments into her being. Her power surged rapidly, reaching its peak in moments—poised for a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Tian Hao addressed another group.
Su Min's seclusion location was a top secret, even he didn't know it. She didn't fully trust his people, and any mishap would be disastrous.
"She's in seclusion. We'll act again after she emerges."
Tian Hao's tone was neutral. He understood Su Min's caution and didn't explain further. In the world of cultivation, paranoia was survival. Until then, they had work to do. These were all Mahayana experts, with exceptional endurance. But in this turbid energy-saturated world, cultivation was impossible. At best, they could recover intermittently.
"Understood!"
The group nodded. They recognized Su Min's wariness but chose not to dwell on it. What mattered was the battles ahead. Her power was undeniable. Though they didn't comprehend how she'd achieved it, her strength was terrifying—transcending reason.
Thus, an aura of mystery now surrounded her in their eyes.
Soon, the scouts dispersed toward the four fortress-prisons. But shock quickly set in—two of the fortresses were empty.
"What's going on?"
Tian Hao's expression darkened as he led teams into both structures. The sight of undefended altars stunned them. They destroyed the altars effortlessly, all without Su Min's knowledge. But this very ease confirmed his suspicions.
"Damn it. The three half-immortals have gathered. Now, breaching the last fortress is near impossible. Even if Su Min is strong, facing three at once is too much."
In that instant, Tian Hao pieced it together. Unaware of the full situation, the enemy had opted for consolidation over division. The final fortress now housed three half-immortals, a force that filled even him with despair.
At best, he could stall one late-stage Mahayana expert. Killing one was beyond him—those who reached that level were geniuses among geniuses. Worse, the gap between early, middle, and late Mahayana was vast.
He was no match for a monster like Su Min.
"Fall back and hide. This next fight isn't ours to wage."
Helplessness weighed on Tian Hao. He even considered summoning Yao Xian'er but dismissed the idea. With Su Min here, if both left, their home universe would be defenseless.
All they could do was wait—for Su Min to emerge.
This was no ordinary battle.
As Tian Hao's forces retreated into hiding, the Nether Prison plunged into silence. In this lifeless dimension, stillness reigned supreme.
One small mercy: at the Mahayana stage, minimal spiritual energy sufficed for survival. To conserve strength, the cultivators reduced their bodily functions to a bare minimum.
They waited—for Su Min, their only hope for vengeance. They were the truly desolate, with nothing left to lose.
In a hidden cave, Su Min's brow furrowed. Surging energy rippled through her as she prepared to break through to the Mahayana middle stage.
But Mahayana breakthroughs were never easy.
"Ugh..."
Unlike beings native to the turbid Burial Ground, Su Min's body rejected the absorbed impurities. During her breakthrough, clear and turbid energies clashed violently, drawing blood from her lips.
"Keep going. It's still not enough."
Her eyes flashed. Only by fully merging these opposing forces could she achieve true completion. Whatever the cost, it was necessary.
The "cost" wasn't unbearable—just shattered organs and severed meridians. To a Mahayana cultivator, these weren't fatal.
Yet, to modern eyes (especially medical students), her condition would be horrifying. Her internal organs were a chaotic mess—barely recognizable as human anatomy.
But Su Min not only endured—she regenerated.
"Am I turning myself into a crucible? Interesting."
Despite the turmoil, Su Min smirked. She'd already stabilized most of the chaos.
"Now—Mahayana middle stage, here I come!"
Her hands moved in a rapid sequence of seals. Instantly, the turmoil within her ceased. Organs reformed in the blink of an eye.
Simultaneously, the surrounding turbid energy surged into her like a tidal wave. She devoured it all, emptying the area for thousands of miles. The effect resembled a vacuum suddenly filled by rushing air. The disturbance was so massive that even the warden and the three half-immortals snapped to attention.
"What happened? Why has the turbid energy thinned?"
Though the drop was slight, it was unprecedented. Normally, they'd investigate such instability in their artificial dimension. But with the enemy's status unclear, they opted for caution.
Meanwhile, Su Min's eyes flew open.
Her cultivation had finally advanced—Mahayana middle stage.